


This Could Be Good

by Anonymous



Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies)
Genre: Alex Pulls Pigtails, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Awesome Emma Frost, Developing Relationship, Emma Can't Deal With The Stupid Boys, Emma Knows What She's Doing, F/F, Flirting, Hopeful Ending, M/M, Multi, Not Canon Compliant, Not X-Men: First Class Compliant, Pining, Sweet Angel, Team Bonding, X-Men: First Class (2011)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-16 11:28:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29949294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Being the right-hand woman of Sebastian Shaw had required Emma to use several aspects of her natural gifts in order to get what they wanted. It was all for the good of mutant-kind so she'd made allowances to the objectification. Why not, if you had the physical assets to go with the mental ones?There was something refreshing about someone actually offering Emma the option of being more than those assets, however."Think of it this way," she told them, "if you want to go recruiting, then two telepaths are better than one."
Relationships: Emma Frost/Angel Salvadore, Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier, Hank McCoy/Armando Muñoz/Alex Summers
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14
Collections: X-Men Rare Pairs 2021





	This Could Be Good

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by [InsertSthMeaningful](https://archiveofourown.org/users/InsertSthMeaningful/pseuds/InsertSthMeaningful) in the [xmenrarepairs21](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/xmenrarepairs21) collection. 



> **Prompt:**
> 
> In which the CIA also fished a very wet and very cooperative Emma Frost from the ocean off the coast of Miami and she accompanies Charles and Erik on their mutant-finding road trip. Being obliged to deal with the two men's most odious flirting and mutual pining, she finds a welcome distraction in the sweet, smart stripper Angel.
> 
> So this went longer than I planned but I like it. I hope you do too, even if I ended it differently than I planned. I liked getting to do what I wanted with these two!

Being the right-hand woman of Sebastian Shaw had required Emma to use several aspects of her natural gifts in order to get what they wanted. It was all for the good of mutant-kind so she'd made allowances to the objectification. Why not, if you had the physical assets to go with the mental ones?

There was something refreshing about someone actually offering Emma the option of being more than those assets, however. 

"You want to help us?" Raven asked dubiously while Emma shivered under a cheap towel. Shaw's former pet was still glaring daggers at her from where the other telepath had cornered him off to dry as well.

"If you haven't noticed, sugar, my ride left me at the wayside," Emma replied placidly, crossing her legs. "Let's just say I'm re-weighing the scales of who might be able to win this little war now that other mutants are in play."

She looked at the two soaked men, both eyeing her with distrust. That's nothing unsound; Emma  _ did _ shove Erik into the ocean first to protect Shaw.

"Think of it this way," she told them, "if you want to go recruiting, then two telepaths are better than one."

Since conflicted little Erik dragged her into the ocean with him by the belt of her ensemble, well, things have been immensely different. 

Like having to watch two disaster-gays flirt and pine with nearly every word they say to each other.

Emma waited near the entrance while Charles made his little plea to Shaw's pet, getting a sense that this melodrama was going to follow them throughout this war. She filed her nails while she waited, and got what she was after when the younger telepath came in startled to see her there.

"You should work on your awareness," Emma advised him. "I'm not nearly as vicious as anyone else who could have wanted the drop on you."

Charles' gaze turned piercing; she could feel it the moment he tried to dip into her mind. Her smile turned sharp. 

"No one can get in here unless I want them to."

"You were listening," he still accused.

Emma shrugged, filling a stray corner of her nail. "If we're on the same team then it's advised we are all on the same page, is it not, sugar?"

"It also requires some trust, Emma," Charles replied before taking his leave.

"You can't make a stray dog love you on the first try," she said, not needing to look to know she had his attention still. 

"But you can offer it sanctuary and necessities until it does," he countered.

"Perhaps," Emma hummed, then added mentally,  _ But trying so eagerly will only get your hand bitten. _

The telepath stiffened, cheeks taking on a hint of a flush, and quickly retreated. 

* * *

Emma's key point was proven the next morning when Erik decided to show up after all and Charles nearly started bouncing in his seat like an excited schoolboy.

_ Your wagging tail is showing, sugar,  _ she thought to him, but he was clearly going to pay her no mind. Emma rolled her eyes and followed everyone else's glances at the oversized golf ball in the CIA's yard.

Boy, this was going to be so much fun.

* * *

"If we're going to take turns wearing this repulsive accessory to locate other mutants then I'm tagging along on these trips."

Raven stepped forward at that. "If she's going then so am I."

"No, you're not," Charles told his sister. "We need you safe, here, with Hank."

Emma does not miss the blush both parties get and pities the shifter for only a moment before she's resigned herself to a very terrible surrounding of nothing but unadulterated pining by a group of adult-sized children.

"I don't trust her, Charles," Raven insisted. "She could just be here to send Shaw the locations we find."

"If Sebastian Shaw considered you to be a threat or realize just what's happening, then that might have been a clever idea," Emma replied. "I find my odds higher on this team, as long as the mutants are in charge."

Erik, who made up his mind to stay out of the discussion once they outvoted his opinion on Cerebro, spoke up from his place against the wall.

"If Charles were to be allowed inside her mind to know for sure, then we could settle the whole matter." He then looked her right in the eye, exuding every dark corner of energy that Shaw bred into him. "If she's a spy then we can handle it ourselves."

Emma shifted into her diamond form on instinct. Charles stepped between them quickly.

"There's no need to get ahead of ourselves." His eyes went right to the taller man. "Erik. She is an ally. We must work together, not tear each other apart."

Well, if it was going to move them along and keep Erik from attempting to strangle her with the metal inside this contraption, then fine. She'll  _ let them into her walls _ . Emma left her diamond form behind and looked at the other telepath.

"Go ahead," she told him with a thin smile. "I promise I'll be a lot of fun."

Emma knew that would ruffle Erik's feather and got what she wanted when the man growled. Charles didn't leave his position but did look to her. He slowly raised his fingers to his temple, and Emma graciously let her mental shields down for him. 

_ Regardless of your reasons why, thank you for letting me in, _ he told her.

_ The squabbling will only take our time away, _ Emma replied,  _ if this will steer us back on course, then a few seconds of some mind play won't kill me, sugar. Though it might hurt your precious Erik. _

Charles snapped out of her mind with embarrassment coloring his edges once again. "She's truly on our side," he told the other three. "Now let's move on and collect our help."

* * *

The strip club was a lot less classy or discreet than the Hellfire Club. Not everyone can accommodate those standards and Emma turned her nose up at it but that wasn't why they were there so she could ignore it. 

Angel Salvadore was a beautiful mutant when Emma caught a glimpse of her through Charles' turn in Cerebro but a mental image hardly does the real thing justice. She would have been the exact kind of mutant Shaw'd seduce with those silky words of his.

"This should be easy," Erik said as they found a set of stools at the bar near where Angel was dancing. 

The slimy thoughts around them were no different than the ones she's heard at Hellfire except the lack of propriety that was bred from their drink. "Of course a boy like you would see it that way," she remarked. 

"A  _ boy _ like me?" he responded, money between his fingers.

"You think that living a life at the mercy of a man's perversion is easy to walk away from just because a couple strapping men come along with an offer to sweep us off our feet?" Emma sent her order for a martini to the bartender mentally, sipping it when he silently set it in front of her. "There is still security in dancing and exposing ourselves to men that pay. It means we afford a place to live, food, and someone finally pays attention to our presence."

Discomfort bled through Charles' mind, and a guilt that Emma was happy to have created, while Erik scrutinized her with something that told her he was once again re-analyzing his expectations of what she's capable of. Emma took a sip from her drink, eyes staying connected to his as she took the bill from his fingers and held it up.

"You're not the usual customer, dolly."

Angel gracefully lowered into a crouch as she took the offered money, There was a familiarity in the mask that she wore, professional and on the right side of seductive. Her mind, however, was wary. It was a beautiful light of possibilities, like a flower that hadn't gotten enough sun or nurturing 

The woman gave the bill in her hand a closer look, surprise rippling through her features for a moment before the mask was back in place. 

"We were hoping we could have a little talk," Emma told her, nodding at Erik and Charles, who were able to quickly recover.

Angel appraised them, then turned back to the blonde. "You're the boss," she said, playing her part. Emma stood and offered her a hand, which she took with, what was noted, as a real smile and stepped down. When she was down, Angel didn't let go, instead using their connection to lead Emma towards a free room. 

"You coming, boys?" the telepath asked over her shoulder.

There was no endlessness to how expected it was to Emma that the boys took the bed together, Charles taking a glass from the offered drink on the side table. Their confidence could be their downfall if Charles didn't come off so earnest. She hovered near a little away from the bed while Angel surveyed the scene, the woman again looking at Emma. This time, her mask cracked with amusement that thinly veiled her confusion. 

"These Daddi-os know how this is supposed to work, don't they?" Angel asked her.

"Rules are considered to be guidelines by them," Emma responded, only half-amused. 

"Though I'm sure it would be very magical," Charles added.

Erik threw his own look to Charles as he smiled and shrugged. "We were thinking along the lines of 'we show you ours, you show us yours'," he replied.

Angel's eyes widened slightly with disbelief. "That's not how it works here, baby."

With a snap of his fingers, Erik then lifted the bucket of champagne from the side table to set it between them. "More tea, vicar?"

"Oh, don't mind if I do," Charles replied, holding up his glass. 

Emma was at half a mind to make the boys take their indulgent flirting and finally use the room for themselves.

The mutant in front of them lost her mask completely, observing the simple use of Erik's mutation in shock. 

With no sign of her fleeing, Charles took his turn. Emma slid into Angel's mind to not be left out when he raised his fingers, and felt exasperation break into a shared bubble of laughter with the other woman as they took in the picture.

Erik Lehnsherr, a red wig, garters, and a sparkly blue dress.

_ Quite a fantasy you have there, sugar, _ Emma teased the other telepath, delighted in his blush even if it didn't break his concentration.

Erik, the poor soul, looked at them all in confusion over his drink. "What are you showing her?"

"Oh nothing, darling, you look lovely," Charles replied, dropping the vision. 

Curious eyes moved to Emma as the stripper asked, "And you?"

Emma's smile was soft for the girl when she shifted, the low lights glinting off of her diamond skin.  _ I can play some mind games, too. With an extra advantage. _

Angel's eyes widened in awe, and out loud Emma added while changing back, "Diamonds are a girl's best friend, aren't they, hun?" 

Looking behind her, Angel made sure there was still no one looking. "Okay," she said, "my turn."

Her eyes on Emma, the girl reached back to undo the clasp of her top. With a smooth undulation of her shoulders, the tattoos on her skin lifted up and became iridescent wings, like that of a fairy's. They looked fragile, very much an illusion, since they could lift Angel into the air with ease and keep her there.

One word came together in Emma's mind.  _ Magnificent. _

* * *

Emma had to stay behind this time to assist the big-footed genius and Raven attempted to locate Shaw, so it was only Erik and Charles who went to fetch Armando Munoz. 

"Well?" Raven asked impatiently, her animosity towards Emma a little less now that she had someone to complain with about her brother; Angel was quite good at bringing them together.

She pushed the Cerebro helmet away and shook her head with a frown. "I still can't trace them. They must still be in the submarine." 

"So no idea where Shaw is," the shifter sighs, leaning against one of the panels, "great." 

Angel stepped forward from her place against the wall. "You'll be able to find them," she assured Emma. "You're powerful and you know part of his plans."

Emma turned an appreciative look on her. "All truths, hun. If we can't find them in the submarine, then we'll have to stop him on his next step of the plan."

"I can do some research for any potential wavelengths we can try using to penetrate the submarine's materials," Hank told them, not yet defeated. The scientists rarely are. 

The telepath was about to consider trying again regardless when she felt a brush against her mental shields. 

"They're back."

Raven was the first to go for the exit. "Did they get him?"

Angel offered Emma a hand as she left the platform, which the telepath took. "Gallant," she mused to the winged-mutant, who only shrugged her shoulders.

"The cats aren't the only ones who can do it."

"Emma?" Raven called to her. 

She sighed and reached out with her mind as Angel acted as a guide to ensure Emma didn't fall. "Yes, they succeeded."

They got to the bottom of the steps as Charles and Erik led the dark-skinned mutant into the facilities. Armando holds an ability that will  _ certainly _ be useful. They might need to test his adaptation to absorbing energy inwardly first but they can work on it later.

She feels his astoundment being at the facility, but then she reaches past that to the actual recruitment and wants to send one of the two men into the fountain.

_ I was hoping you could take us all the way. _ Who permitted these two to speak in innuendoes in public? 

"Will those two ever cease?" Emma shook her head.

Raven and Angel looked to her with various looks of curiosity. "What did they do?" Raven asked.

"Was it another offer like mine?" Angel smirked.

Emma was more than willing to share the insights with them, projecting it in their minds and holding in a long-suffering sigh.

"My brother has no tact," Raven groaned, "and I thought watching him hit on co-eds at the pub was excruciating." 

Angel hid her snicker behind her hand. "They're a thing, right? This is just their foreplay or something, isn't it?"

"Angel," Raven replied, "my brother may be a master at flirting, but he is terrible when it comes to actual feelings."

Incredulity filled Angel's face. "No. This is--They know what they're doing." She looked at the other two rapidly. " _ Right _ ?"

"If only that was the case, hun," Emma said.

"Wow." Angel couldn't stop shaking her head. " _ Wow _ ."

* * *

Recruiting was a tedious endeavor to Emma when she wasn't the one leading the conversation. It was also an occasion for her to discover eye strain after the constant rolls she had to do of them. 

Emma disapproved of Alex Summers. His power had potential. 

The potential to get them killed. 

"He can be a good fighter," Erik argued when they returned to CIA headquarters.

"I never said he wouldn't be," Emma replied, "but only if you put him against Azazel or Janos."

Charles popped up when he was done sending the boy to his new room. "Why wouldn't he work against Shaw?"

Erik and Emma both looked at the telepath. "If you'd recall, hun, Shaw absorbs energy and can then dispel it any way he'd like. A walking nuclear reactor. Using Alex Summers against him would be like feeding Shaw a free energy boost."

"He does need to be trained on how to pinpoint it and not risk any crossfire," Erik added, only somewhat reluctantly. 

Charles' eyes flickered between them, and Emma schooled herself so that she didn't smirk at the flare of jealousy she felt from his mind.

"Fine," he said primly, "Alex will not be at the frontlines against Shaw."

The English boffin walked away from them, leaving Erik clueless at the reaction. 

"Did I miss something?" he asked her.

Emma tilted her head at the other mutant. "Erik, I know we're both more than just a pair of pretty faces." She walked away from him in the other direction, ready for a drink and some Personal Time. "You can figure it out for yourself." 

She went to the tiny kitchen that Agent MacTaggert was able to get them and found Angel already there with a smoothie and a bowl of extra fruit.

"How did it go?" Angel asked, offering her a peach slice.

Emma took the offering, careful to not get any of the juices onto her clothes. "Caged testosterone is not good for the soul, hun."

"Is there going to be a problem?"

"I think our newest recruit has taken a liking to Armando, so we will see."

Angel laughed. "We better get another woman on the team soon or it  _ will _ be nothing but testosterone."

"I think it calls for a much-needed trip to the spa when this is over," Emma said, slipping the peach slice into her mouth and taking her time to admire the sweet taste of it. A spark of lust went through Angel's mind that Emma wanted to touch and mold. 

Her companion, who had to know how easily Emma found herself inside her head, only smiled. "I didn't get to pamper myself that often."

"Oh, hun," Emma replied, "nothing is a greater joy than when you allow someone to take care of you."

Angel held her gaze as she picked up a strawberry and bit into it. "If someone decides to offer, I might be in the mind to accept."

_ There are loads I can offer you, _ Emma told her.

_ I know, _ Angel thought back to her, grabbing her things and going.

Well, Emma thought to herself as she changed course and followed after the brunette, Charles and Erik might not know how to make their next move, but she does.

* * *

"You believe recruiting teenagers is an effective strategy?" Emma questioned Charles from where their trio was watching Sean Cassidy at a distance. 

"We need all the mutants we can get who are willing," Charles repeated, but his attention is on the aquarium around them. "This is quite a groovy place to peruse."

Erik raised a brow at the dark-haired telepath. "We're perusing fish now, Charles?"

"Think about it," Charles argued, "quiet ambiance, low lighting, nothing but some aquatic life. It's quite a clever choice for a date."

Erik shook his head and returned to the scene of this Sean boy scaring off the fish  _ and _ the girl. Emma is tired of being stuck in the middle of their atrocious flirting but Angel was there this time, desperate to get out of their rooms.

"Look at him, Emma," she said, leaning against the telepath, "he just needs some guidance."

"A lot of it," she replied. 

"With the right teacher, he'll be able to win a girl over," Angel insisted.

Emma was finding herself keen on indulging Angel in the little things, but this was something on a larger scale. 

_ You're fixing to be spoiled and given a stray, _ she accused the other mutant, who took her hand briefly to give it a squeeze.

_ I thought you wanted to spoil me? _

"All right,' Emma gave in and went over to the redhead before the Gay and Confused could do it.

Emma placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and gazed at the empty tank. "Looks like you could use some help, sugar."

Really, Emma supposed that if Charles and Erik were going to treat Alex as their surrogate then she and Angel deserved to have one of their own. 

* * *

Sebastian Shaw still hadn't popped up, so Charles and Erik decided to go with the CIA to sit out on one of his Comrades that Emma knew he was supposed to visit that day.

Emma initially volunteered to tag along and talk with the Comrade herself to collect information.

"We need someone to watch over the others," Charles insisted. "I trust you to be able to keep them in line, Emma."

"Sugar," she replied, "if you wanted to treat this like a date then you only have to say so."

"It's an  _ operation _ ," the brunet protested.

Emma smirked at him. "You get points for it being unique."

The room that had been so  _ graciously _ given to their team was small and plain, but it did have enough couches and a bar, and some arcade games to keep them entertained. Emma was resigned to the fact that she fully expected it when all the boys but Hank McCoy were instantly drawn to it. 

Emma resolved herself to one of the poor-quality leather couches and reclined against it, crossing her legs as she nursed a glass of champagne. That, at least, was closer to the variety she was accustomed to, since it was the school-boy telepath who ordered it. 

Raven and Hank took the other couch, bonding over the various developments for the science that Emma didn't care to pay attention to. 

"Do you think they'll find him?" Angel asked as she took the space next to the telepath. 

"Only if Shaw wants to be found." Emma didn't see it being so easy when Shaw was still ahead of them in his planning. It was why if the CIA planned to actually allow their group to train, then they needed to do it as soon as possible. 

"Well that's why we're all here, right?" Alex asked, the boys herded themselves over to join them. "To take care of this guy when he  _ does _ get found?"

"Yeah, but since we aren't going to find him tonight," Raven responded, "we should at least relax. Team bond or something. Right, Emma?"

Shaw hadn't been about bonding, just exuding his charm and leadership while she, Azazel, and Janos followed his desires. Emma didn't want those two to become collateral damage.

Emma took a sip of her champagne and took in Charles' strays. A new team, a new side, it meant acclimating to a new style. "It would benefit us all to get acquainted," she agreed.

"Great!" Raven nodded, relieved. "We should show our powers. Come up with nicknames, even." 

"I will pass on the nickname," Emma stated. Angel leaned into her side with a smile. "The rest will do." 

"Fine, I'll go first," Raven declared. "I want to be called Mystique."

Sean pauses mid-sip of his Coke and looks so disappointed. "Oh, man, I wanted to be Mystique." 

"Well tough," she responded proudly, I called it."

Then Raven shifted into a copy of Sean, causing Hank and Alex to jerk to the side in surprise while Armando shouted in delight and Emma shared an amused look. Sean had almost rocked his chair all the way back in his own shock.

_ I told you he's helpless, _ Emma shared privately with the woman on her arm, who subtly nudged her side. 

_ And we're going to be the ones to help him with that. Like you promised. _

Emma saved her answer for the applause the others gave Raven as she shifted back. Yes, Angel might become the one she'll be willing to fulfill many promises to. 

"Armando, what about you?" the blonde shifter prompted, causing the man to shift forward in his chair. 

"Well, I've always been called Darwin," he answered, "and it sorta already fits. Adapt and survive and all." Darwin's eyes traced the room until it stopped on an aquarium. "Okay, check this out." 

Emma could already see it unfolding in Darwin's mind and they were in for a treat. She was right; he was going to be extremely useful. The others waited in anticipation as he strolled over to the tank, casting them a smug look before he dunked his head into the water. They all watched as gills opened along the side of his face and bubbles flowed freely from his nose, another round of applause starting as he grinned at them.

There was a certain glaze to Alex's eyes that spilled over to his thoughts of  _ I wonder what else he can adapt to do _ .

"Incredible," Angel mused, awed.

"Fascinating, is what it is," Emma replied, stroking her glass as the man shook out the gills and pointed at Sean while he reached for something to dry off with. 

"What about you?"

Sean set his soda aside and steepled his fingers together. "I'm going to be...Banshee."

Hank threw him one of those overrated puppy looks, with the head tilted and brows furrowed in his perplexity. "Banshee? Why would you want to be named after a wailing spirit?"

"Some people like to acknowledge where they come from, Hank," Angel pointed out, defensive. Sean threw her a bashful smile before moving his Coke on the table and walking around to the other side. "You might want to cover your ears for this."

The group indulged him while casting around uncertain looks. Emma didn't bother, only moving her drink to a side table while she noted Darwin didn't cover his either.

They waited as Sean crouched down and inhaled, pursing his lips. The mischief that flared up as he looked at them was all the warning Emma got before he changed his target from the glasses on the table to the window and blew out a sharp whistle. 

The window cracked and shattered within seconds, crumbling inside and out of the room. 

"I know a certain mutant who's not going to like that," Emma noted, booking forward to it. Pride flowed out of Sean when he saw her approval and how impressed Angel was like the others. 

"Your turn," he told her, taking his seat to give Angel the floor. She met Emma's gaze, the telepath giving her a nod of encouragement before she stood. It was time for her fairy to show off.

"Well," Angel started, taking off her leather jacket and dropping it in her seat, "my stage name was Tempest. I guess it kind of fits, too."

She showed off her wings, light dancing off of them in hues of purple as they fluttered. 

"You can fly?" Raven gasps before glaring at them. "You didn't tell me she could fly." 

"You didn't ask, sugar," Emma shrugged smugly. If Angel didn't share before that was her prerogative. 

"I can," Angel nodded, "oh, and, um…"

The brunette faced the opening Sean left them and spat, a small yellow ball shooting out and soaring until it landed on top of the statue, igniting a quick fire as it reacted to the metal and left it scorched. Emma held out the jacket to Angel when she was ready, letting her slip it back on and rejoin her on the couch.

"What about you, Hank?" Angel asked. The doctor's shoulders hunched as he stared at the ground uncomfortably.

"How 'bout Bigfoot?" Alex snickers, though his gaze and thoughts tell Emma a different story. 

"Well, you know what they say about guys with big feet," Raven snaps, glaring daggers at the boy, "and yours look pretty small."

"Okay now," Darwin tried to placate. Hank just looked grateful at Raven's show as a friend, which only made Alex's thoughts turn sour.

_ A little old for pulling pigtails and the green-eyed monster, aren't you, Alex? _

The blond startled, his head looking around for the source of the voice.

"What's the matter, sugar?" Emma asked aloud, diamond slowly covered her body. "Hear something you don't like?"

"Emma, you didn't," Angel chided. Armando and Sean still hadn't caught on, only able to stare at Emma in fascination, but Hank and Raven had their turn to snicker. 

"You were in my head," Alex said, his eyes wide. "You're like Mr. Xavier." 

"I have a lot more enjoyment out of what I do," she replied, winking at him when she receded her form.

Raven was starting to scrunch her face, though. "Charles should not be called Mr. Xavier. That sounds so weird." 

"What about Professor?" Hank supplied. 

" _ Yes _ , Professor," Raven nodded, her excitement coming back. "Charles is the Professor. But what about Erik?"

"He can control metal and their properties." Hank fixed the thick glasses on his face. "Why not Magneto?"

Professor Xavier and Magneto. Names that will hang over their shoulders and never be mistaken. Names of leaders.

Perhaps their odds can keep on growing. 

"That leaves you, Alex," Angel points out. 

"Yeah," Darwin agrees, "what can you do?"

The cockiness is gone from the boy, now replaced by something more reluctant as he shook his head. "It's not...I can't do it in here."

Unswayed, Darwin gestures to their open window. "Can you do it out there?"

Alex is still resistant, but the others chant. She feels his give before Alex is standing up and stepping over the meridian. "When I tell you to, get back." 

Everyone's rushed after him but Emma takes her time unfolding her legs and rising. Angel waited and took her hand to pull the telepath along. 

"Get back," Alex commanded. The others listen but only for a second before they're peaking around the corner. 

" _ Get back _ , " he repeated in a growl, giving up when they're not swayed. Plasma beams wrapped around his body like a moving x until his hips shifted and sent them flying wildly at the statue, cutting it into three parts. 

Another expense to add to the list, Emma thought. 

The group whooped and applauded until Alex was back inside, flushed but not as restrained. 

"What is going on here?"

Agent MacTaggert stands before them with Erik and Charles, none of them amused. 

"You brought together a group of mutants," Emma replied, taking the lead, "while you've been planning your mission, we've been bonding as a team. I expected that to be what you'd like us to do, Agent." 

"Not by destroying CIA property," the agent replied sternly.

Emma tilted her head. "It's a lot more fun to show what we can do than simply."

"We even developed our codenames," Raven added, and it was a pity how helpful the eager shifter thought she was being. "You're Professor and you're Magneto."

"I expected more from you," Charles stated. "The both of you."

"I'm keeping the morale up, sugar," Emma replied, unrepentant. "All work and no play makes for a dull boy." 

Charles' lips thinned. Erik laid a hand on his shoulder. "Let's go,  _ Professor _ ." 

The brunet glared but moved on, Erik lingering behind. 

"Codenames and grandstanding does not prepare them for the battle," he said, then walked away. 

Shamed, the other mutants retreated into an awkward silence as they fiddled around for something to do. Emma grabbed her glass and wandered to the bar to refresh her drink.

"What do we do now?" Angel asked, joining her.

Emma found another glass and filled it, offering it to her. "Erik is not wrong." 

"How are we supposed to prepare then?" Raven asked from the couch. 

"You have to know your enemy," Emma answered. "And who knows him more than I do?"

Emma used to only be looked at as a shiny bobble. Shaw admired her abilities but he didn't consider her an equal in intellect. 

That was his mistake. 

Now, she was able to prove being more than a pretty face and a pair of legs. The mutants around her listened as she described his plan, the nuclear missiles, Cuba, Azazel and Janos. Emma detailed how Shaw liked to use honey instead of vinegar to catch his recruits, how it can seem like a dream to envision ruling a new Earth. 

Above all, she made sure to point out how Alex should never be the one to attack him.

"He says that we will all be kings and queens," Emma relayed with contempt. "I love a crown and jewels as much as the next person but it's unrealistic to think every mutant can. He'll pick which ones to be his subjects and his army."

"What's so bad about a world where people don't look at us like freaks?" Angel speaks up. "I'd rather be stared at for my clothes being off than the way I've been looked at before."

"We shouldn't need to let humans control or judge us, that much I still believe in," Emma answered, "but we would be foolish to think we can annihilate humanity. We should carve a place for ourselves and show that we belong and can be better than them."

Emma took Angel's head and coaxed her to look at her. "The way they look at you shouldn't matter when you've got the way  _ I _ look at you."

" _ That _ is making more sense," she heard Sean say to himself. 

Angel searches Emma for a lie. "You plan on looking at me like a queen all the time?"

Emma already does. "There are a lot of ways I look at you, hun. That's only one of them." 

"We're mutants and proud," Raven promises. "That doesn't mean we have to give in to fear." 

Angel wiped her eyes and nodded, a smile showing for only Emma. 

_ Mutant and proud _ , she said to Emma,  _ I might have to work on that. _

_ Let me be the one to help you with that, hun. I'll show you all the ways to be proud. _

Angel gave her hand a squeeze. "Then we'll have to make sure Shaw loses, too." 

The odds were gaining in their favor. Emma couldn't predict the future but she could calculate Shaw's chances. 

He was down a telepath. He couldn't know they were recruiting. Emma knew that if they couldn't stop him tonight then they could stop him in Cuba. And when it's done, Emma planned on taking Angel and claiming a place for them to be undisturbed by the humans. Or perhaps she'll lead a team like this one. 

Or, and it was a strong or , they could assist Charles and Erik in strengthening this team. Those two couldn't even get their heads on straight to find a room together, surely leading a team won't be their strong suit either. 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and Kudos are always the greatest things ever!


End file.
